THE

HISTORY

OF

NORTH CAROLINA.

CHAPTER I.

CAROLINA, on its becoming the property of the crown, was divided into two distinct provinces, and on the 29th of April, 1730, George Burrington, who a few years before, had presided over the northern part of the province, under the authority of the lords proprietors, was appointed governor of North Carolina. He did not reach his government till the middle of the month of February; Sir Richard Everard yielded him the supreme authority without any struggle, and he qualified at Edenton on the 25th. None of the former officers were continued. William Smith was appointed chief justice, Nathaniel Rice, secretary, Edmund Porter, judge of the admiralty, John Montgomery, attorney general, and Robert Holton, provost marshal. Those officers were named as councellors, in the governor's commission. John Palin, Joseph Jenoure, John Baptist Ashe, Cornelius Harnett, John Lovick, Edmund Gale and Mathew Rowan were either named with them in the same instrument, or called into the king's council, during Burrington's administration.

His instructions provided, that three members of the king's council should constitute a quorum; they required him, in case of a vacancy, to forward with

the information of it, the names of a number of respectable planters, whom he might deem proper persons to fill it; but, in case the board was reduced to less than seven members, they authorized him, with the advice of the council, to fill vacancies, until that number was complete. He had power to suspend any member of the council, on just cause, from his seat at the board, until the king's pleasure was known; to grant reprieves in cases of treason, and pardons for all other offences, and to collate to all ecclesiastical benefices.

He was directed, with the advice of the council, to call assemblies of the freeholders of the province, according to former usage, and authorised, with their consent and that of the council, to exercise legislative powers: but the provincial acts were to be transmitted to the king in council for his revision, and on his disallowance they were to cease having any force.

With the assent of the council, he was also empowered to establish courts of justice, fairs and markets, and to dispose of vacant lands.

The governor and council were authorized to hold a court of error, and take cognizance of all suits, in which the matter in dispute exceeded in value the sum of one hundred pounds, and from them an appeal lay to the king in council, in England, if it exceeded three hundred pounds sterling.

The lords of the admiralty had granted to governor Burrington a commission of vice-admiral in the province.

The vice-admiral, members of the council, commanders of the king's ships in the province.

chief-justice, judge of the vice-admiralty, secretary, receiver and surveyor-general, were constituted a court for the trial of pirates.

The prosperity of the king's new acquisition depending in a great degree on the tranquility of its inhabitants, it had been judged by the British ministry, an object of primary importance to secure the friendship of the nations of Indians, by whom there was most reason to apprehend it might be disturbed. For this purpose Sir Alexander Cumming was sent to conclude a treaty of alliance with the Cherokees, at that time a warlike and formidable nation. They occupied the land on the back part of the settlements of both the Carolinas, towards the Appalachean mountains. The country they claimed as their hunting grounds was of immense extent, and the boundaries of it had never been ascertained. The inhabitants of their different towns were computed to amount to more than twenty thousand, six thousand of whom were warriors, fit to take the field on any emergency. An alliance, with this nation, was an object of importance to the Carolinas, and likewise to the mother country, who now engaged their protection and defence. Sir Alexander arrived at Charleston about the same time that governor Burrington reached Edenton. He lost no time, and in a few weeks after met the chiefs of the Cherokee lower towns, at Keowee; they received him with marks of friedship and esteem. Messengers were immediately sent to the towns in the middle, valley and over hill settlements to summon a general meeting of the chiefs, for the purpose of holding a congress

T

with Sir Alexander, in the month of April, at Requassee.

Immediately after his qualification, governor Burrington issued a proclamation for convening the first legislative assembly of the province, under the immediate authority of the crown. They were called at Edenton, and required to meet on the 13th of April, 1731. With a view to secure the friendship of the Indians, who were immediately on the western frontier of his government, he sent John Brikell, a physician, to meet them. The doctor sat off in the latter part of February from Edenton, attended by a company of ten men and two Indians as huntsmen and interpreters. The detail of his journey affords an accurate idea of the state of the country, at that time. He had provided himself with fire arms, ammunition, horses, two mariner's compasses, rum, salt, pepper, Indian corn, and other necessaries. After they had passed the plantations of the whites, they camped every evening an hour before sunset, tied their horses to trees, which they made the Indians climb up to procure a sufficient quantity of moss for the horses, and to make beds for the men. They then sent the Indians to hunt, and, in the mean while, made a large. fire of broken limbs of trees, which they found plentifully scattered through the woods; they piled them up, in order to continue burning all night, to prevent wild beasts or pernicious insects from approaching them or their horses.

As soon as the Indians had discharged one or two shots, and given signal of their success by hallowing, some of the party were despatched to their as

sistance to bring to the camp the game they had killed: and they seldom returned without more than a sufficient quantity of venison, wild turkeys and other game, for the support of the whole company. When thus supplied with meat, they roasted and boiled a portion of it for supper, parched some Indian corn to serve instead of bread, and sat down to their meal with good appetite, whetted by the keen air; their tables, dishes and plates being the bark of trees. Supper being over they made a large gourdful of punch, and, when disposed to rest, lay on beds of moss near the fire, the company keeping a constant watch by turns, every four hours. After a journey of fifteen days, they reached the foot of the mountains, without having met any human being on their way, since they had left the settlements of the white people. On their approach, they were discovered by a party of the Iroquois Indians, a powerful nation, continually at war, and wandering between the gulf of Mexico and the river St. Lawrence, As soon as they perceived the doctor's party they disappeared, and gave notice to their chief, who despatched one of his captains, painted as red as vermillion, with a strong guard, armed with bows and arrows. When the party came in sight of the doctor's camp, which was in the middle of a large savannah, they halted, and the leader, attended by one Indian, advanced, holding a green bough in his hand. He gave the doctor to understand that he was sent by his chief, who desired to know whether the white people came for peace or war, or what other business had brought them hither. The doctor informed him,